Premiership: Pressure is on Liverpool

Liverpool v Derby

With Manchester United throwing down the gauntlet, big style, with such an emphatic win at Chelsea to take over the league leadership, Liverpool knew there could be no hint of compassion for doomed Derby - one mistake now and they could surely forget about the Premiership crown.

Derby, with only two wins at Anfield since 1937, were also aware that anything but victory would put them down, and after five straight defeats few but the die-hards could see any salvation against a team with 31 from their last 33 points.

Man of the moment Michael Owen - England armband, England goal - was presented with his European Footballer of the Year trophy before the game but is no doubt more concerned about helping Liverpool to their seventh league win on the trot.

Boss Gerard Houllier left out Abel Xavier and Jari Litmanen while Emile Heskey just recovered from a hamstring problem was on the bench.

Dietmar Hamann had recovered from the ankle injury that ruled him out for Germany in midweek.

Whatever the perceived problems with Nicolas Anelka, he was in from the start as was John Arne Riise, at left back, after a week of speculation about his future.

Derby fielded the side that lost at home so unluckily to Newcastle, with Fabrizio Ravanelli not even on the bench.

Robert Lee passed a fitness test but Mart Poom, Craig Burley and Brian O’Neill were all out.

Middlesbrough v Blackburn

Middlesbrough: Schwarzer, Stockdale, Southgate, Festa, Queudrue, Wilkshire, Mustoe, Ince, Johnston, Carbone, Windass.

Subs: Nemeth, Debeve, Marinelli, Crossley, Cooper.

Blackburn: Friedel, Bjornebye, Berg, Short, Neill, Gillespie, Tugay, Dunn, Duff, Cole, Yordi.

Subs: Flitcroft, Hughes, Johansson, Unsal, Kelly.

Referee: N Barry (Scunthorpe)

Leeds v Fulham

Leeds: Martyn, Mills, Ferdinand, Matteo, Harte, Smith, Bakke, Batty, Bowyer, Fowler, Keane.

Subs: Robinson, Kelly, Wilcox, Johnson, Richardson.

Fulham: Van der Sar, Finnan, Melville, Goma, Brevett, Davis, Malbranque, Boa Morte, Legwinski, Saha, Marlet.

Subs: Taylor, Hayles, Knight, Goldbaek, Ouaddou.

eferee: R Styles (Waterlooville)

Newcastle v Charlton

Newcastle: Given, Hughes, O’Brien, Distin, Elliott, Solano, Dyer, Speed, Robert, Shearer, Lua-Lua.

Subs: Jenas, Harper, Bellamy, Dabizas, Bernard.

Charlton: Kiely, Young, Rufus, Costa, Konchesky, Stuart, Kinsella, Parker, Robinson, Johansson, Euell.

Subs: Bart-Williams, Brown, Ilic, Fortune, Lisbie.

Referee: M Dean (Cheshire)

West Ham v Sunderland

West Ham: James, Schemmel, Pearce, Repka, Dailly, Winterburn, Carrick, Lomas, Cole, Sinclair, Defoe.

Subs: Hislop, Labant, Garcia, Potts, Courtois.

Sunderland: Sorensen, Williams, Craddock, Bjorklund, McCartney, Thirlwell, McCann, Reyna, Kilbane, Phillips, Quinn.

Subs: Macho, Haas, Schwarz, Butler, Kyle.

Referee: S Bennett (Kent)